Bang, you smacked your head against a wall one night while you are on holiday and need emergency help immediately. Or maybe you decide to eat some mystery meat shawarma after a night of drinking in Bairro Alto and your tummy doesn’t feel so well. Now you’re wondering how to get healthcare in Portugal and you have no idea what to do. We’ve got you covered. I’m in Lisbon, so this is particularly written for people who are there, but as far as I have heard, the experiences are similar in other cities. If you are from another area in Portugal, leave a comment and let us know what your experiences have been like there.

How to get healthcare in Portugal when you bang your head on the wall of your Airbnb cause it’s pitch black

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES IN PORTUGAL

If it’s an immediate emergency you dial 112 (this is their 911) on any phone. Tell the operator (in English is fine) why you need an ambulance, your address and wait 15 minutes for them to show up. The medics will come and see if they can help. If things are more complex, they will bring you to the hospital. Same as the states. You can also call the direct medical line at 808 242 424.

When You Arrive at the Hospital

When you go to the hospital for a doctor’s visit in Lisbon, things will be quite different than the US. My first experience was at Hospital Luz in Benfica neat Colombo Shopping Center. When you walk in, if you don’t have an appointment, you must take a ticket and wait. If you have a set appointment, just walk to the front desk and let them know you are there so they can process you. This takes less than five minutes. Then you can go to the waiting room to wait your turn. This took about 20 minutes on a Monday, but that’s their busiest day. If you are doing a regular visit, you will pay upfront. If it is emergency, you pay as you leave.

PRO TIP: Some hospital websites have a counter letting you know how long the wait is at the current time.

Once You Are Called Into the Doctor’s Office

The doctor will see what’s wrong with you and begin work. They will send you in for tests, or put stitches on you give you medication. Unlike the USA, your doctor will not tell you what he/she is doing or why they are giving you tests. In the USA, doctors explain every single procedure in detail (like your a doctor and you know what the hell they are talking about). In Portugal, doctors are considered experts. You are not, so it is expected you don’t question them. Aquí en Portugal, “doctors know best”. It is a bit of a culture shock and can scare a lot of people who may be expecting a bill of 5000 Euros. However, healthcare costs here are significantly lower. Generalmente, a non-insurance emergency visit will cost between €300 – €500 for something complex or €20-€50 for something more simple like stitches. You can mitigate this by having either travel insurance or having actual insurance if you’re a resident expat in Portugal.

How to use travel health insurance in Portugal

Travel Insurance

When visiting abroad for longer than a week, I suggest that you get travel health insurance. In my 12 years of travels to 45 países, I have seen tourists, digital nomads, and foreigners doing the stupid things and putting their health in danger.

Renting mopeds in busy foreign cities without really knowing how to drive them and almost crashing into restaurants (me in Vieques)

Cliff diving near rocks (Algarve)

Getting drunk and going home with strangers (Everywhere)

Driving wrong way on major streets (Lisbon)

Drinking and driving (Tuscany & Beaune)

Taking random pills people give you at a rave (All those kids in Krk Croatia)

I have seen this time and time again, especially from younger digital nomads who think their actions have no consequences. They do, and you are putting not just yourself, but others in danger. This is one of many reasons why it is so important that you have travel health insurance.

I have used Cigna Global while traveling. The cost per month was about $125 and they covered up to $250,000 in expenses. The important thing is that they cover over €30,000 which is the minimum allowed by Schengen countries to allow for residency. So if you are going for a longer term stay you need to have this as proof you are covered by insurance.

There are a bunch of other travel health insurances out there but I cannot vouch for them:

All will work, just depends on the level of coverage you need. The process usually is that once you go to the doctor, tell them you have insurance. They will give you a slightly lower rate. Put it on a credit card then send the bill to insurance. They will reimburse you within 30-days usually.

A list of the Portuguese Health Insurance Companies

Portuguese Medical Insurance

If you live in Portugal like me and need long-term insurance, then travel health insurance won’t cut it. You need to get on one of the plans here in Portugal. I use árbol because they are AMAZING. Hablan Inglés, their website is easy to navigate if you use Google Translate, and there are tons of other perks attached to their system.

There are a few pre-requisites before you are eligible for health insurance in Portugal through Medis:

Pick the plan that is right for you, and usually within 2-3 days your insurance will be activated. You will get a card via the CTT (mail) and get your account number via email. Eso es.

How to Use Your Portuguese Insurance at the Hospital

When you got to the doctor, clinic or hospital tell them you have Medis. Provide them your card along with your ID card. Eso es. Your co-pay usually is about €15 per visit. It can go up to maybe €300 for something complex. I currently pay €75 per month and have about €1,000,000 coverage. Compare that to the Blue Cross I had in the States which cost me $400 per month without dental or optical. Hence why I was having vision issues in New York City, I was forced to pay $1600 bucks out of pocket for an eye specialist who looked at me for 5 minutes. Here, this is not the case. F-off US healthcare.

A few other benefits I get with my health insurance

Medical

Dental

Optical

Discount at my gym (25 Euros cheaper!)

Discount at spas (yeah..crazy)

Mental (hard being a CEO)

Nutritionist (I need to get on a diet)

Massage

Physical Therapy

Sick Pay if I am ill for a long while (fingers cross this never happens)

Discount on medication

I love my insurance plan and my doctor. I went in recently for an annual exam. He sat with me for 1-hour. We went through all my medical history. He went beyond the basics and suggested things to make my life better (he literally told me to stop being a lazy fool and play more basketball because it’s what I love to do). It was so refreshingly kind. It was the time you should spend with your doctor. This is what makes giving up some of the US conveniences worth it. This is why it is so good to yield and just learn to become patient in Portugal.

How much do Hospitals cost in Portugal?

As of this article, the fees I saw when I went to Hospital Luz last week were:

General Consultations – usually €15

emergency treatment – from €15–20

overnight stays – €25 per night (shared room)

They can also charge you a fee of about €20 for special exams or MRIs. Not bad huh? Compare that to what Blue Cross would offer you state-side.

As we go to different doctors and specialists here in Portugal, we will update this article with more information.

So far, we love health care in Portugal compared to healthcare in the United States. There is so much propaganda from drug companies in the US that it’s refreshing to actually go to the doctor and not be afraid of the cost or the poor service. It’s also nice to know that they aren’t pushing the latest drug their pharmacy rep just raved over at the most expensive steakhouse in town. One thing I have noticed constantly is that in the USA, we talk a big game but don’t deliver. In Europe they “under-talk” and deliver great healthcare.

If you want to learn more about healthcare in Portugal, your rights or just what is available these 3 resources helped me put together this article:

www.sns.gov.pt – website for the Portuguese National Health Service (SNS)

We had that happen in Milan, Italy. Walked into the emergency room at 2am, were taken care of by two doctors, got stitches (which hardly left a scar). The price – zero euros. It was amazing. That’s when I truly realized how bad the US healthcare system was and how lucky I was to have a medical emergency out of the country. Last similar episode in NJ set us back thousands in emergency room costs.

Thank you for such a straight forward article. soy un 62 year old lady that was recently nudged into early retirement with restructuring of the company I worked for. Starting next month I have to start paying for health insurance. Not doable in the US with the cost of living here. So I have chosen to move abroad where I can have a comfortable life AND healthcare. Portugal is at the top of my list. I am planning a trip there, in a couple of months, to see if it will be a good fit. Thanks again

Congrats on the retirement and on considering Portugal. It is truly wonderful. Right now it’s winter and the high today will be 60 grados. The weather in PT is wonderful, people are friendly, prices are great. If you have any questions while you plan your move here, don’t be shy to ask. Both Antonio and I are always glad to help!

Being a nurse in the States, and being valued as a professional member of the healthcare team, it is interesting to see that the doctor, “God-like” complex still exists in other areas. And I will DEFINITELY be getting travelers health insurance- didn’t know that your home coverage may not extend to places you travel!

It’s not the god like complex I don’t think. It’s fact that he/she is expert here and they aren’t trying to rob you. They may get it wrong at times but let them do there jobs. It’s a different mentality then the US. And the nurses here are WONDERFUL, smart but focus on their expertise. I have seen doctors here refer to nurses loads of time to ask advice or how best to administer things. Very different then States.

also one other thing. People have family doctors here which will know you, your father, mother, grandfam, so the relationship is very close. Doctors only have a set amount of patients so it’s not like going to a doctor and he sees you once in a while. They literally are in your lives legally. My doc can call my house or ring my bell if Ia m not following a medication or what ever prescribed (your nurse can too). And they do. It’s nowhere near USA.

…last thing. Let’s say your in hospice or just out of surgery. Doctors here will be waiting for you. It won’t be he/she popping in when they want. They literally will be waiting. Your on there day agenda and they will cancel other appointments for you (and will call the people telling them why they had to cancel). And this isn’t small town vs big town. I am talking Lisbon.

I can tell from the hospital fee visit costs that it is really reasonable. I can understand wanting to get insurance there if you are staying an extended time. I think the hardest thing for me was the assumption the doctors know everything. I appreciate they know more than me. But after dealing with doctors who screwed things up, I like to know things because it allows me to have the ability to be my own advocate.

It’s so weird with the doctors. In the US, I’m so used to them clearly outlining everything before it is done…here they just expect you to accept they are the expert and that you will listen. Younger doctors seem to be a bit more malleable, I think this will change a touch with time.

Casi. It’s night and day. Cheaper. Faster (if you make an appointment). Actually know your doctors. It’s not even close. It’s like going to 7-Eleven vs a Michelin star restaurant. Yes they serve food but really not even close.

Having just returned from a two week vacation in Portugal my heart is still there. Genuine people, beautiful towns & Fresh local food made our trip one of a kind. We are seriously considering retiring there but we’re concerned with health care as I am currently on the Affordable Care coverage ( which with the current admin could disappear) & my husband on VA. Portugal sounds ideal for older Americans who are not of great means. Quality of life is very important to the Portuguese & Americans could learn valuable lessons from them. Thank you for sharing your information.

If you are a little bit older, healthcare will be more expensive than what we pay. I believe Medis is pretty flexible if you’re older and the quality of life here is wonderful. The nice thing is that there are all kinds of cities and villages to fit different lifestyles.

I’m so glad that I found your site, it’s such a great resource for me! My husband and I just bought a big, old house outside of Tomar that we’ll be moving from NYC next year and we need all of the help that we can get. Thank you for all of the info!

Insurance broker? Why? You have three choices with medis, depending on amount you think you would need coverage. Just check their site. It’s in English. Insurance brokers are more of an American thing. You really don’t have lots of private insurance here in Europe that will give you that complex an offering. If you have questions in certain coverages just ask. Medis is 15 for general doc visit, 40 for emergency, y 1.50 per lab work, etc. just message them to see ur coverage.

Much of this article presupposes that you are a resident and have Medis.

I am 76 and here in Portugal on a residence visa. I have my interview in late February. I have registered with the public health clinic in my city (Lourinha).

We bought travel insurance for 3 months (September – December) and hoped to get an interview during that time period. But we were unable to get the interview until February. So our visa has automatically been extended.

We registered for the public health clinic and then let our travel insurance expire.

Two important questions:

1. When we go for our interview, will being registered with the public health service be sufficient? Will they consider that we are in this way insured? Or will they block us for not having travel insurance?

2. I am 76 years old. Will Medis or any other insurance company of the sort you mentioned insured me?

Not sure if they will accept state insurance. It all depends on the type of visa you have. As for the age thing, it’s a little tougher the older you get. But if you look at my reply to Tony below, you will see that Allianz (although it says they don’t on their website) will – if you are a member of Afpop. Medis (I believe will also cover you). Both will charge higher because of your age. This is the afpop website – so check them out. Hope it helps. http://www.medal.pt/v2/index.php/pt/produtos-e-servicos/membros-afpop/afpop-saude